USA > Minnesota > Wabasha County > History of Wabasha County : together with biographical matter, statistics, etc. : gathered from matter furnished by interviews with old settlers, county, township, and other records, and extracts from files of papers, pamphlets, and such other sources > Part 9
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Speckled trout were in all the small streams of this county and very plenty. There are a few left in nearly all of them. The state fish commissioners have placed young ones in some of the streams. The water coming from springs and being rapid is nicely adapted to their habits, and some efforts have been made to propagate them. There are several fine springs well adapted to fish culture. The main difficulty seems to have been to guard against sudden overflow, as the streams are liable to rise very high and quickly. Fish com- mon to the Mississippi river run up several of the streams in the · spring and return to the river again. The Mississippi furnishes a large quantity of fish yearly, the greater portion being taken with the seine. The varieties generally caught are buffalo, catfish, pick- erel, bass and wall-eyed pike. There are also sturgeon, sunfish, perch, suckers, and several other kinds.
The geological formation of the county is quite uniform in char- acter. The appearance of the rocks at the surface, in St. Charles, Saratoga, and part of Fremont and Utica, is somewhat different from those lying along the Mississippi, the Whitewater, and the streams that flow into Root river. Here, also, the valleys are much broader, and the loam, or top-soil, thicker and more evenly spread. The highest lands are tillable and usually turfed all over.
The lowest visible rock along the Mississippi, and probably underlying the whole county, is the St. Croix sandstone. This sandstone varies somewhat in appearance and texture. In the south- east part of the county the quarries show a fine building-stone of superior quality for working, of a grayish color, that hardens on exposure to the air. In some places the rocks are of a reddish cast, probably owing to the presence of iron. Some of the layers are quite soft and are readily excavated. In the south part, Utica, St. Charles, part of Fremont and of Saratoga, the sand-rock cropping out of the hills or low bluffs is nearly white in color, loose in texture and disintegrates rapidly, forming a beautiful white sand. Over- lying the sandstone is the lower magnesian formation, which also probably underlies most of the county. It is a hard, flinty, whitish or light gray rock, composed of lime and sand, with streaks of calcite along the larger streams. The upper portion only is visible, the lower part being covered with wash from the bluffs. This rock is not
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GEOGRAPHICAL.
available for use, being very hard and of irregular fracture, not easily quarried or worked. In some places along the Mississippi there is seen, overlying the lower magnesian, a sandstone loose in texture, crumbling rapidly and largely forming the soil of the sides of the bluffs. It is probably not more than fifteen or twenty feet in thickness. Corresponding with this sandstone, there extends througlı a part of the towns of Wilson, Hart, and part of Norton, a sandstone of similar texture, but deeper colored, more firm, and in some cases regularly and beautifully corrugated. Overlying this sand- stone is magnesian limestone, its layers generally regular, but vary- ing in thickness. This is the generally-nsed building stone of the county. This stone does not change on exposure, and large quanti- ties are used by the railroads and shipped to Wisconsin. There are some small specimens of fossil remains to be seen in this limestone. In the vicinity of St. Charles the limestone is largely composed of fossil remains, trilobites and cretaceous shells of several varieties.
There are no evidences of northern drift in this county. Probably owing to its altitude no boulders are to be found. The clay gener- ally exists in pockets, and is stratified. There are some small deposits of loess usually in the valleys, and mound-like in appearance. Where wells have been sunk in different parts of the county, npon the higher lands, the rocks are found to be of nearly uniform char- acter, and water is not usually found till the sandstone is reached. The well of Mr. Clawson, in Saratoga, presents an unusual phe- nomena. At the depth of seventy-five feet the drill opened into a crevice or a cave, and the air rushed out with great violence. At the distance of four feet more the rock was again struck, and water obtained at the depth of one hundred and forty feet from the sur- face. The current of air in the well changes with the wind, the downward current in winter freezing the water in the pipe to the depth of the crevice, seventy or more feet, and again rushing out, so as to thaw all the ice about the well.
In numerous places along the Mississippi, especially upon the gravelly headlands, are yet evidences of the mound-builders. Where the mounds have been examined little has been discovered beyond stone implements, arrow-heads, and in some places skeletons, which are no doubt intrusive burials. Large quantities of clam shells and bones of various animals are also found, mixed with pieces of charcoal and with ashes. In one case a charred package of white birch bark was found of nearly a cubic foot in size, and scattered about the mounds is usually found much fragmentary rude pottery.
CHAPTER X.
RAILROADS.
BEFORE the ratification of the treaty by which the Sioux surren- dered their lands for settlement, a party of three, headed by Robert Pike, was dispatched from Minnesota City to ascertain whether a practicable route for a railroad to Traverse des Sioux, on the Minne- sota river, existed. Early in July, 1852, Mr. Pike made a favorable report, and urged the adoption of some plan for building the road, but he was then accounted an enthusiast, and his scheme dismissed as visionary and impracticable. Early in 1854, however, the project was revived, and, after several ineffectual attempts at organization, a charter was obtained from the legislature March 4, 1854, by Orrin Smith, Henry D. Huff, Abram M. Fridley, Lorenzo D. Smith, John L. Balcombe, Alexander Ramsey, W. A. Gorman, Henry H. Sibley, J. Travis Rosser, Andrew G. Chatfield, Henry McKenty, O. M. Lord, Samuel Humbertson, Martin McLeod, Benjamin Thompson, William H. Newton, James Hanna, G. Addison Brown and Robert Helm, under the name and style of the Transit Railroad Company, authorizing them to construct a railroad from Winona westward to the Minnesota river. In March, 1855, an amended charter was obtained from the legislature, and the incorporators met at St. Paul on the 25th of January, 1856, accepted the charter, and gave official notice thereof to the secretary of the territory. On the 12th of May the sum of $240,000 had been subscribed to the capital stock of the company, the subscribers being the following named per- sons : L. D. Smith, H. D. Huff, Wm. Ashley Jones, Charles H. Berry, M. Wheeler Sargent, H. H. Johnson, E. H. Johnson, H. J. Hilbert, E. S. Smith, David Olmsted, M. K. Drew, A. P. Foster, Wm. H. Stevens, John Evans, Chas. Hamilton, O. S. Holbrook, Orrin Smith, John C. Laird, Wm. H. Laird, M. J. Laird, J. H. Jacoby, Royal B. Evans and L. H. Springer. All these, with the exception of Orrin Smith and L. H. Springer, were residents of Winona. The first officers of the company were H. H. Johnson, president ; Wm. Ashley Jones, vice-president ; H. J. Hilbert, sec- retary and engineer ; H. D. Huff, treasurer.
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RAILROADS.
The organization of the company was only the prelude to a pro- longed and bitter contest with parties interested in other localities, and more particularly with the owners and promoters of the town- site of La Crescent. After various vicissitudes, among them the defeat in 1854 of H. D. Huff for the legislature by Clark W. Thompson on this issue, the conflict finally resulted in a victory for Winona and the Transit railroad. On the 3d of March, 1857, Congress passed an act by which the munificent gift of 1,200,000 acres of public lands was conferred upon the state for the benefit of the Transit road. An extra session of the legislature was at once called to consider this and other grants of lands, and on the 22d day of May, 1857, an omnibus bill was passed con- firming the grants, and amending the charter of the Transit road so as to authorize it to construct and operate a railroad from Winona via St. Peter to the Big Sioux river. In February, 1858, what is known as the five-million loan amendment to the constitution was adopted by the first state legislature, and was ratified by a vote of the people April 15, 1858. By the terms of this amendment state bonds were to be issued and delivered to the various railroad com- panies at the rate of $100,000 for every ten miles graded and bridged ready for the iron, the state taking a first mortgage upon the road-bed so graded, together with the lands and franchises of the company, as security for the loan. The Transit company at once filed their acceptance of the terms of the amendment, and proceeded to let the contract for the grading and construction of seventy-five miles of the line as surveyed west of Winona. In the letting of this first contract, as well as in the location of the line out of Winona, there was a most determined effort on the part of a few men to divert the road from Winona, and so build it as to eventually make La Crescent the eastern terminus. Selah Chamberlain, of Ohio, after- ward the builder of several roads in the state, and the largest holder of the state bonds issued under the five-million loan amendment, was a bidder for the contract. It was understood that if he secured it work would be begun at or near Lewiston, and that the matter of the eastern terminus would remain unsettled, with a strong proba- bility that the road would be diverted down the ridge back of Winona to La Crescent. De Graff & Co., also bidders for the con- tract, were favored by most of the directors, who were desirous of beginning the work of construction at Winona, and thus at the outset fixing the terminus and settling that question forever. This
7
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HISTORY OF WINONA COUNTY.
company was composed of C'ol. Andrew DeGraff, B. F. Barnard, Hernando Fuller and William DeGraff, Col. DeGraff being the head and sole manager of the concern. The contest waxed hot, but on the 8th day of June, 1858, the board of directors, after protracted discussion, awarded the contract to De Graff & Co. Previous to this time there had been much strife between the various town proprietors as to whether the road should leave the city by way of lower town and the Sugar Loaf valley, or from upper town via the Rollingstone valley. The history of this feature of the matter more properly belongs to that of the city of Winona, and will not be further discussed here. The upper town interest won the victory, and on the 9th day of June, 1858, ground was broken at or near the present machine-shops, the event being duly celebrated by the delighted people.
DeGraff & Company were strictly loyal to Winona, although tempting offers were made them to carry out the plans of the La Crescent men, and the work of grading the road went rapidly for- ward during the following summer and winter, until fifty miles of grading and bridging had been completed, inspected and accepted by the state authorities, and $500,000 of state bonds delivered to the company. Then came the financial crisis of 1858-9. These bonds were denounced as illegal and fraudulent. They became almost valneless in the market, and all work came to a standstill. DeGraff & Company were unable to pay their men for work and supplies, and much hardship resulted. Upon default in the terms of the mortgage given by the Transit company to secure the loan made by the state, a foreclosure was had, and on June 23, 1860, the road franchises, and other grants, ineluding lands, were sold to the state for the nominal sum of one thousand dollars. March 8, 1861, the the legislature granted and transferred all elaim upon the property to Orville Clark, Abraham Wing, John W. Kirk, Robert Higham, W. H. Smith, Nelson P. Stewart and B. W. Perkins, and consti- tuted them a corporation under the name of the Winona, St. Peter & Missouri River Railroad Company, upon condition that the road be fully equipped and trains running to Rochester and Owa- tonna at certain fixed times. No attempt having been made to comply with these conditions. the legislature, on March 10, 1862, made a similar grant to William Lamb, S. S. L'Homedien, John W. Kirk, Herman Gebliart and H. C. Stimson, under the name and style of the Winona & Saint Peter Railroad Company, free and
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RAILROADS.
clear of all claims and liens upon the property, and upon much more lenient conditions. Work was at once resumed by the new owners, and on December 9, 1862, a passenger train was run by Col. De- Graff from Winona to Stockton and back, the day being marked by another enthusiastic celebration. December 10, 1862, the first car- load of wheat was shipped to Winona by L. Raymond and pur- chased by Asa Forsyth. From this time the work of construction proceeded rapidly. In 1864 the trains reached Rochester, a distance of fifty miles from Winona. In 1865 the road was completed sixty- six miles to Kasson ; in 1866, ninety miles to Owatonna ; in 1868, one hundred and six miles to Waseca ; in 1870, one hundred and thirty-nine miles to Mankato and St. Peter ; in 1871, one hundred and sixty-five miles to New Ulm ; in 1872 two hundred and eighty- four miles of track were completed west of Winona, and the grading extended three hundred and thirty-one miles to Lake Kampeska in Dakota Territory. In 1879 another line, diverging from the old track at Tracy, in Lyon county, was begun and pushed with such energy that in two years trains were running to Old Fort Pierre, on the Missouri river, connecting with daily stages for the Black Hills. The entire property, save the land grant, had, however, in Novem- ber, 1867, passed into the hands of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad Company and become a part of that great system, although still retaining its name and corporate existence. The lands thus separated from the general ownership of the company and its franchises became the property of A. H. Barney and a company of New York capitalists, and are still so owned, excepting those since sold to settlers. A branch from Eyota to Chatfield was opened for business December 8, 1878; from Eyota to Plain- view October 22, 1878 ; from Rochester to Zumbrota November 2, 1878 ; from Sleepy Eye to Redwood Falls August 4, 1878 ; from Huron to Ordway November 20, 1881 ; from Watertown to Clark Centre June 18. 1882 ; from Volga to Castlewood September 29, 1882; from Clark Centre to Redfield October 22, 1882; from Ordway to Columbia October 22, 1882, making a grand total of 863 miles of this road now directly tributary to Winona.
The following named men, prominent in the railroad history of the West, have been connected with the Winona & St. Peter company : S. S. Merrell, now general manager of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railroad, was general manager of the Winona and St. Peter railroad from February to May, 1865. Dwight W.
110
HISTORY OF WINONA COUNTY.
Keyes, now assistant general freight agent of the Chicago, Milwau- kee & St. Paul railroad, came with Mr. Merrell to the Winona & St. Peter company as auditor, and was lett in charge of the road in May, 1865. John Newell, now general manager of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern railroad, was at that time superin- tendent and chief engineer. H. C. Atkins, now assistant general superintendent of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railroad, was superintendent of the Winona & St, Peter railroad during the years 1866 and 1867, being succeeded by J. H. Stewart, now superin- tendent of the Marietta & Cincinnati railroad. Gen. J. W Sprague, late general superintendent of the western division of the Northern Pacific railroad, at the same time becoming general manager of the Winona & St. Peter railroad. April 20, 1874, J. H. Stewart was succeeded by Sherburn Sanborn as superintendent, a position which he still occupies.
The magnificent iron bridge across the Mississippi river used by this road was built during the winter of 1871-2. The draw-span of this bridge is said to be one of the longest in the world (363 feet). It takes the place of a combination wood and iron draw-span built in the winter of 1870-1, which fell on the 27th day of May, 1871, and was entirely removed. This bridge forms a connection with the La Crosse, Trempealeau & Prescott railroad, of which mention will be made hereafter. The bridge was constructed for the company by the American Bridge Company, of Chicago ; the piling was done by Frank A. Johnston, and the stonework by Jones & Butler, of Winona. The shops of this company are located at the west end of the city, are large and fully equipped for the business of keep- ing the road-bed and rolling stock of the road in the best condition. They have been fully described among the institutions of the city of Winona.
St. Paul & Chicago Railway .- The corporate name of this com- pany in the original charter, dated May 22, 1857, was the Minnesota & Pacific Railroad Company. By an act of the legislature approved March 2, 1867, the directors were authorized to change the name of the company or that of any of the branches of the road provided for in their charter. Accordingly, on the 19th day of March the board of directors gave the name of "The St. Paul & Chicago Railway " to that part of their line to extend from St. Paul to Winona and thence to the Iowa line. Work was begun upon this line at or near St. Paul in 1865, but nothing was done in Winona county until 1870, when
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RAILROADS.
the road was built from Minnesota City to Weaver and put in opera- tion by the Northwestern Railroad Company. In 1871 the road- bed was completed between St. Peter Junction and St. Paul, and in December of that year was sold to the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad Company, who immediately took possession, and began operating the road in connection with their line from Chicago and Milwaukee to La Crosse, making connection over the La Crosse, Trempealeau & Prescott road and the bridge at Winona when com- pleted. In 1872, however, the road was extended from St. Peter Junction to La Crescent, on the west side of the Mississippi river, and thereafter all freight trains used this route, being ferried across the Mississippi to La Crosse. Passenger trains, however, continued to run over the Winona bridge and the La Crosse, Trempealeau & Prescott road until 1875, when the magnificent iron bridge between La Crescent and North La Crosse was completed and brought into use for all traffic over the Milwaukee & St. Paul line. As a bonus for the construction of this line the city of Winona, on the 21st day of April, 1870, voted and thereafter issued $100,000 of its bonds, to be delivered upon the fulfillment of certain conditions by the com- pany. The bonds having been prematurely delivered to the con- struction company, suit was brought by the city, in which, after protracted litigation, it was finally determined that the prescribed conditions had not been fulfilled, and that the city have damages equal to the amount of the bonds, with interest, which sum has been paid.
The La Crosse, Trempealeau and Prescott Railroad. - After the passage of the bill by congress, March 3, 1857, providing for cer- tain land grants to aid in the construction of railroads in Min- nesota, and among them the Transit railroad, with its eastern terminus at Winona, the next important project was to connect Winona and the Transit railroad with the railroads in Wisconsin and Illinois, and through them with the railroad system of the United States. It was also proposed by means of this connection to cut off La Crosse, Winona's most formidable rival, from the benefits of northern and western connections, as it was thought that but one road would ever cross the Mississippi river in this section of country. It was therefore resolved to keep the matter of this "cut off," or eastern connection, in the hands of Winona men. In the winter of 1858-9, in the midst of the pinching hard times brought on by the financial crisis of that time, Capt.
112
HISTORY OF WINONA COUNTY.
Sam Whiting, Thomas Simpson and M. K. Drew started out one severely cold day to look out a practicable route for a railroad east from Winona to a point of intersection with the pro- posed line of the Milwaukee & La Crosse railroad. They cut their way from Altoona, now Bluff Siding, through the swamps, and camped the first night in the heavy timber. The next morning, after eating frozen bread and meat for breakfast, they proceeded with their work, and in about half-an-hour came out upon a prairie covered with fenced fields and farm-houses. They had spent a night in the snow, which Capt. Whiting said was equal to any of his arctic experiences, within half a mile of a substantial and comforta- ble farm-house. The people of Winona had been so occupied with their own great prospects and those of the country west of them, that they had no knowledge of this well-settled country just east of them. The following spring Z. H. Lake and Thomas Simpson were again sent over the proposed route, and instructed to go to La Crosse to see if that city would not unite with Winona in building this connection, the extreme hard times having somewhat modified the ambitions and claims of Winona. A preliminary survey of the route was made by these gentlemen, which coincides almost exactly with the line as afterward built. They met with a very cool reception at La Crosse, being informed that that city would have nothing to do with the project, and that they would prevent if possible the granting of a charter by the Wisconsin legislature. Subsequent investigation, how- ever, developed the fact that several years before a charter had been granted by the legislature of Wisconsin to some parties to build a railroad from a point at or near La Crosse to Point Douglass, opposite Hastings, to be called the La Crosse, Trempealean, Lake Pepin & Prescott railroad, and that this old charter had been kept alive. Possession of it was obtained, the company reorganized, and Timothy Kirk, Thomas E. Bennett, M. K. Drew, William Mitchell, Thomas Wilson, Thomas Simpson, A. W. Webster, and five meu from Trempealean, were elected directors. Thomas Simp- son was elected president ; A. W. Webster, vice-president ; J. H. Newland, secretary, and Thomas E. Bennett, treasurer. The com- pany began at once to locate the line, obtained right of way, etc., in order to secure vested rights before the Wisconsin legislature could convene and repeal the charter. But no money was to be had. N. F. Hilbert was employed as chief engineer, to be paid whenever the company became able to pay. Others were employed
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RAILROADS.
npon similar terms. To board the force, a subscription in provi- sions and supplies was taken up among the citizens of Winona. Upon this subscription being read at a large meeting of all interested, the following items appeared together: "P. W. Gaines & Co., bbl. whisky. Robert Clapperton. 1 loaf bread."
Win. Lamb, who had been appointed superintendent of con- struction, rose and interrupted the reading with the remark that there was altogether too much bread for that quantity of whisky.
The company sneceeded in holding their charter, and work was kept up until an agreement was made with parties interested in the Chicago & Northwestern company to complete it and make it a part of that great system, which was done in 1870. The road is still owned and operated by that company, but under the original charter and organization.
Green Bay, Lake Pepin & Minnesota Railroad .- In February 1873, a proposition was made by the officers of the above-named road to extend its line from Merrillan, Wisconsin, to Winona, pro- vided the city would grant them a bonus of $100,000. As the line would form a valuable connection with the lake system of navigation, and also furnish the city directly with many of the products of the Wisconsin forests, a very decided disposition to accept this proposition was manifested by the citizens of Winona. A series of public gatherings terminated in a large meeting of citizens, at which it was determined by a general expression to accept the proposition, President Ketchumn, of the railroad com- pany, being present at the meeting. A committee of eight lead- ing citizens was selected and instructed to proceed to St. Paul and procure from the legislature then in session authority for the city to take the necessary steps in granting the required aid. This committee accordingly went to St. Paul and had the proper bill introduced for the purpose, but only one day remaining of the session it failed to pass from lack of time. The committee returned, and the company, learning of the failure to secure legislation, modi- fied their proposition and suggested that the citizens should secure them the sum named by subscription or otherwise. Another meet- ing of citizens was held, and a committee appointed to wait upon and confer with the city council upon the matter in hand. As the result of such conference the city council, on March 14, 1873, adopted the following resolutions :
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